Word Study for H8355 (שְׁתָה)

shᵉthâh /sheth-aw'/ Ask about this word

Root(Aramaic) corresponding to שָׁתָה

Meaning(to imbibe (literally or figuratively))

KJV usagedrink.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of shᵉthâh — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Aramaic word shᵉthâh, represented by H8355, means to drink. A direct counterpart to the Hebrew word שָׁתָה, it appears 5 times across 5 unique verses in the Bible. Its usage is highly concentrated, appearing exclusively in one chapter to describe a single, significant event.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

All biblical occurrences of H8355 are found in Daniel chapter 5, during King Belshazzar's great feast. The term is used to describe the central act of the event: the king and his court drinking wine. Belshazzar drank wine before his thousand lords Daniel 5:1. In a profane act, he commanded that the holy vessels taken from the temple in Jerusalem be brought so that he, his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them (Daniel 5:2, Daniel 5:3). This act of drinking is directly linked to idolatry, as they drank wine and then praised gods of gold, silver, brass, iron, wood, and stone Daniel 5:4. The final use of the word comes in Daniel's rebuke, condemning the king because he had drunk wine in the sacred vessels and failed to glorify God Daniel 5:23.

Related Words & Concepts

One word is directly associated with the action of H8355 in this narrative:

H2562 chămar (wine): This Aramaic word for wine is the object of the verb "to drink" in every instance where H8355 appears. The two words form a pair that defines the sacrilegious act at Belshazzar's feast (Daniel 5:1, Daniel 5:4, Daniel 5:23).

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H8355 is derived entirely from its specific context in Daniel 5. The simple act of drinking becomes a symbol of profound spiritual failure.

Act of Defiance: To drink from the holy vessels was an act of lifting oneself up against the Lord of heaven Daniel 5:23. It was a deliberate desecration of what was consecrated to God.
Catalyst for Idolatry: The act of drinking is immediately followed by the praising of false gods, linking the physical indulgence with spiritual unfaithfulness Daniel 5:4.
Reason for Judgment: Daniel explicitly cites Belshazzar's act of drinking from the vessels as a primary reason for his downfall, as it demonstrated a failure to glorify the one true God who held his life and ways in His hand Daniel 5:23.

Summary

In summary, H8355 provides a focused look at how a common action can take on immense significance. While simply meaning "to drink," its exclusive use in the narrative of Belshazzar's feast transforms it into a keyword for pride, sacrilege, and the divine judgment that follows. The story illustrates that the manner and context of an action, not just the action itself, are of critical importance.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a verb across 5 occurrences, inflected in 4 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

אִשְׁתִּיו
שָׁתַיִן
שָׁתֵה
יִשְׁתּוֹן

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

5 verses, all in Daniel — and none of the other 38 Old Testament books.

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.